The conventional progressive wisdom is that the Trump Administration will be bad for cities and for transit users. But in recent decades, a unified Republican government has been better for public transit than a divided government.

An efficient and equitable transport system must be diverse to serve diverse travel demands. Planners need better tools to quantify and communicate the benefits of walking, cycling and public transit to sometimes skeptical decision makers.

Is London Neglecting Its Most Popular Mode of Public Transport?

Carrying 2.3 billion passengers a year, London's buses are the most popular they've been in more than fifty years and 60 percent more utilized than in 2000. Is the city doing enough to plan for future demand and threats to service?

"So what next for London's bus service as demand for it increases and the number of Londoners soars?" asks Dave Hill. "It isn't very obvious. While rail transport has the glamour of Crossrail and the Mayor strives to persuade us that his 'cycling revolution' claims will, belatedly, be justified, there's no conspicuous plan for enabling the form of public transport that carries by far the greatest numbers of passengers in the capital to carry even more."

"The London Assembly's transport committee, which is investigating the bus service, notes [PDF] that while TfL predicts continuing growing demand its current business plan does not allow for the network to be increased to help meet it," adds Hill. "The best TfL thinks it can do is to make the most efficient use of the existing network. Nothing wrong with greater efficiency, but will refining what we have be enough to keep the London bus show as we have come to know it on the road?"

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